When Footnotes Pretend to Be History
Hindu philosophical traditions did not develop in a climate of uninterrupted harmony. Advaitins, Viśiṣṭādvaitins, Dvaitins, Buddhists, Jains, Śaivas, and Mīmāṃsakas often engaged in fierce—and sometimes deeply personal—polemics.
But a sectarian insult is not the whole history of a philosopher. A hostile hagiography is not a neutral biography. And a provocative footnote should not be presented as though it were a major chapter in the history of Indian thought.
From Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja to Vedānta Deśika and Madhva, the record reveals both acrimonious conflict and extraordinary intellectual creativity.
The real danger today is not that these old polemics are discussed. It is that social media detaches them from context, magnifies them, and turns historical trivia into historical truth.
When does a footnote become a distortion of history?
Tag Archives: adi sankara
Vedanta at the Threshold: From “Vichara” to “Vyakhyana”
by M.K. Sudarshan July 12, 2026: Chennai, India A dialogue between two postgraduate students of Indian Philosophy in a university coffee shop The coffee shop on campus was neither elegant nor noisy, which made it ideal for argument. It had enough hum to protect privacy, enough light to encourage thinking, and enough bitter tea andContinue reading “Vedanta at the Threshold: From “Vichara” to “Vyakhyana””
The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-11): …Living for the love of Valmiki and Shakespeare…
In the sunset years of his life — i.e. the early and mid-1940s — Srinivasa Sastri’s physical and mental health remained beleagured. His angina attacks came upon him suddenly and not infrequently. They caused him excruciating chest-pain and breathlessness. In those days in contrast to the present day, medical research had not yet discovered miracleContinue reading “The Rt.Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri’s memory and legacy… (Part-11): …Living for the love of Valmiki and Shakespeare…”
எம். கே. சுதர்ஷனின் “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?” – தமிழில்புத்தக விமர்சனம்
https://amzn.in/d/3XQhmIB எம். கே. சுதர்ஷனின் “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?” – தமிழில்புத்தக விமர்சனம் எம். கே. சுதர்ஷனின் “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?” என்பது இந்து தத்துவத்தில் தெய்வத்தின் இயல்பை ஆராயும் சிந்தனைமிக்க நூலாகும். இதில் பிரம்மம் என்ற கருத்து மற்றும் வேதாந்தத்தின் பல்வேறு பிரிவுகளில் அதன் விளக்கங்கள் குறித்து விரிவாக ஆராயப்படுகிறது. பாகவத் குண தர்பணம் மற்றும் சததுஷணி போன்ற அதிகாரப்பூர்வ நூல்களை மேற்கோள் காட்டி, பிரம்மத்திற்கும் அதன்Continue reading “எம். கே. சுதர்ஷனின் “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?” – தமிழில்புத்தக விமர்சனம்”
M K Sudarshan’s “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?”: stands out for its logical, coherent, and smooth-flowing narrative, making intricate philosophical arguments accessible to the reader.
BOOK REVIEW M K Sudarshan’s “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?” is a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of the divine in Hindu philosophy, specifically examining the concept of Brahman and its interpretations within different Vedantic traditions. Drawing upon authoritative texts like the Bhagavad Guna Darpanam and the Satadushani, Sudarshan navigates complex theological debates, suchContinue reading “M K Sudarshan’s “The Nondescript God: Abstraction or Paragon?”: stands out for its logical, coherent, and smooth-flowing narrative, making intricate philosophical arguments accessible to the reader.”
“The Unusual Essays of an Unknown Sri Vaishnava” — the new India Edition 2025! Just out in online bookstores as paperback and available as Ebook on Google Play
Ruminating “punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam”
Who hasn’t come across these immortal lines of Adi Sankara in his famous Sanskrit hymn, “Bhajjha Govindam“? पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं,पुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम्।इह संसारे बहुदुस्तारे,कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे ॥२१॥“punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi janani jathare sayanam,iha samsare bahudusare krpaya’pare pahi murare” – 21 Being born again, dying again, and again lying in the mother’s wombContinue reading “Ruminating “punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam””
Very strong flavour of Visishtadvaitic Thought in the “Soundarya Lahari”
On 27 Oct 2024, at 2:54 PM, Rangarajan T.N.C. Sent to me in an email this YouTube link : And below was my reply to him via email : Dear Sir, Thank you for sharing with me the above beautiful Shloka from Sankara Bhagavatpada’s masterpiece “Soundarya Lahari …”! This Bhakti laden Sanskrit hymn has a very special place in my heart forContinue reading “Very strong flavour of Visishtadvaitic Thought in the “Soundarya Lahari””
“Wearing down” Hinduism in a cultural war of attrition- Part-2
Just to further illustrate the main point, of blog published above ⬆️ yesterday, readers should please go back to it and re-read the short list of a few inconvenient and downright “mocking” questions that anti-Hindu brigades pose to us . Many of you after reading the above blog the first time might have wanted toContinue reading ““Wearing down” Hinduism in a cultural war of attrition- Part-2”
Real “Sanatanis” and “pseudo-Sanatanis”
This Sri Vaishnava gentleman from the holy city of Sri Rangam has shown he has the guts and gumption to defend one of the fundamental tenets of Sanatana Dharma : viz. Varnaashrama, the foundation of all social systems in Vedantic thought. He asserts boldly that all 3 founders of India’s Vedantic tradition — Adi SankaraContinue reading “Real “Sanatanis” and “pseudo-Sanatanis””